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Stretching her body like a cat, she rolled her head from side to side. “How long will it take to get to your home town?”
Selena smiled, scrunching up her nose. “It’ll be long enough for you to take another power nap.”
Mia massaged the back of her neck. “I don’t think I’ll ever catch up when it comes to sleep.”
“Treating patients in Mingo County will be a lot different than seeing those in a big city. I’m not saying you won’t have your share of patients with health problems, but it will mostly be sick kids and their mothers. Most men don’t put much stock in seeing a doctor unless it’s absolutely necessary. Speaking of men, I’d better turn on my cell phone and see if my dad called. He said he would come to pick us up.”
Mia liked her cousin’s wife. Although she found Selena friendly, Selena also possessed a certain shyness that Mia found endearing. And, she knew Selena had to be quite special if Xavier had been willing to give up bachelorhood. Mia had lost count of the number of women who’d asked her to introduce them to the one-time career military officer. But she usually told them he was involved with another woman, to avoid any hurt feelings. Most of her med school classmates were looking for husbands, and what they hadn’t known about Xavier was that he wasn’t the marrying kind—until now.
The aircraft had come to a complete stop and the seat-belt light was extinguished. Xavier unsnapped his seat belt and moved toward the seat facing Mia’s. He smiled. “Feeling better?”
She returned his smile. “Like a new woman.” Mia felt better than she had in days. The flight was just long enough for her to get a little shut-eye.
Xavier patted her head as he’d done when they were younger. “You’ll get to sleep in late, because Selena’s folks usually stay up late on New Year’s Eve and then sit down to celebrate later in the afternoon with a traditional Southern dinner.”
“Daddy isn’t going to pick us up,” Selena said, listening to her father’s voice-mail message.
Xavier looked at his wife. With her youthful appearance she looked like she was still in high school. “Let’s hope we can rent a car.”
Selena shook her head. “Kenyon’s coming to pick us up.” She stared at Mia, remembering Kenyon’s remark at her wedding reception. He thought Mia was pretty, but he also thought that she was stuck-up. And she was looking forward to seeing the sheriff of Jonesburg’s reaction when he was formally introduced to Dr. Mia Eaton, the town’s new doctor.
Mia waited with the others in the biting cold January night, while their luggage was unloaded from the plane’s cargo compartment and left on the tarmac for passengers to retrieve. She smiled. There was no moving sidewalk, no elevator, no escalator or monorail to the baggage claim area. It was de-board the plane and pick up your bags. Xavier grasped the handle to Mia’s luggage, while shouldering his own. Minutes later they walked into a warm terminal. There were at least a dozen people waiting for arriving passengers, hugging and kissing their loved ones, greeting one another for the New Year.
Kenyon Chandler saw his cousin, her husband and a woman he was sure he’d never see again. It had been a little more than a month, but he’d remembered everything about her as if it had been minutes before. Taking long, smooth strides, he closed the distance between himself and the trio.
He noticed the difference in Mia Eaton immediately. She’d cut her hair, the style accentuating her incredibly beautiful face. He felt the full force of her gaze, meeting and fusing with his. The recognition was barely perceptible, but she’d lifted her chin, staring at him along the length of her delicate nose. He was unsure whether she was staring at him with aloofness or icy disdain.
Reluctantly, he pulled his eyes away from the tall woman in a pair of jeans that hugged her hips and long legs like a second skin, and he smiled at Selena. “Happy New Year, cuz.” Bending his head, he kissed her cheek.
Looping her arms around Kenyon’s neck, Selena pressed a kiss to his smooth jaw. “Same to you. What’s up with my dad?”
“He had a little too much holiday libation,” Kenyon whispered in her ear. Reaching up, he eased her arms from around his neck and extended a hand to Xavier. “Welcome back.”
Xavier shook his hand, slapping Kenyon’s shoulder. “Thank you. I don’t know if you were ever formally introduced to my cousin at the wedding.” Turning slightly, he reached for Mia’s free hand, pulling her to his side. “Mia, this is Kenyon Chandler. Kenyon, Mia Eaton. She’s going to be Jonesburg’s new doctor.”
The expression on Kenyon’s face spoke volumes. As sheriff of Jonesburg he hadn’t been informed by the mayor or any of the trustees that they were getting a new doctor. Recovering quickly, he offered Mia his hand. “Even though we’re in Kentucky, I’d like to be the first one to extend a warm welcome to Jonesburg, West Virginia.”
Mia stared at the large hand as if it were a venomous reptile. Seconds later her hand disappeared into his warm grasp. She detected calluses on the palm, which told her Kenyon was no stranger to hard work. She felt as if she were lost in a fog when she stared into a pair of large, deep-set dark gray eyes ringed by long, thick black lashes. His eyes were a startling contrast to his dark brown coloring.
“Thank you so much.” Mia’s smile and voice was filled with sincerity.
Kenyon reached for her luggage and Selena’s carry-on. “I’m parked outside.” Turning on his heels, he led the way out of the terminal to the parking lot. Pressing a button on a remote device he started up a dark blue SUV with West Virginia license plates. A placard in the windshield identified him as Mingo County law enforcement. He opened the passenger-side door. “Mia, you can ride up front with me. That way you can tell me why you decided to practice medicine in Appalachia instead of in the big city.”
Mia went completely still. Had she heard him right? Was there a hint of derisiveness in Kenyon’s voice? She squared her shoulders. Her eyes moved slowly over the features under the wide-brim, Western-style black hat. Despite her annoyance she had to admit he was drop-dead gorgeous. When he leaned forward and lowered his impressive height, he still eclipsed Mia, who was five-ten, by another four or five inches.
“Does it really matter why I’m here? Shouldn’t it be more about addressing the medical needs of the people in this region?”
“It’s just that I need to know a little something about the folks who hang out in my town.”
“Hang out! What makes you think I’m here to hang—”
“We’ll talk later,” Kenyon interrupted. “It’s cold and late, and the weather folks are predicting snow. So let’s go before the roads get too slippery.”
Mia clenched her teeth to stop the verbal tirade poised on the tip of her tongue. Kenyon was right. It was late, and the night air was biting and raw. There was also a fog in the air that hinted of precipitation. She let the obnoxious man cup her elbow as she hoisted herself onto the front seat of the SUV. She stared out the windshield as the door closed with a solid thud. The heat flowing through the vehicle’s vents wrapped around her like a blanket, pulling her into a cocoon of warmth and relaxation. Her mother had been disappointed in her decision to leave Dallas, and Kenyon Chandler was suspicious because she’d chosen to practice medicine in Appalachia.
Mia understood her mother’s attitude, but what she couldn’t fathom was Kenyon’s skepticism. Maybe it didn’t matter to him that someone had to drive twenty miles one way for a procedure that could have been done in a doctor’s office, saving the patient time and money. He’d mentioned his town, and she wondered if he was oblivious to the medical needs of its residents. It wasn’t as if they lived in a large urban area, or even a suburb where there was easy access to hospitals and medical clinics. She’d researched the demographics of Jonesburg, and the per capita income for the town was depressing. She’d grown up with girls who spent more money on clothes, makeup and perfume in a year than the median income for Jonesburg’s house holds.
Nothing her mother or Kenyon had said could dampen her enthusiasm for practicing medicine alongside a doctor with nearly forty years of experience. She’d come to West Virginia to work with Dr. Lyman and eventually take over his practice once he retired.
Chapter 2
Mia didn’t fall asleep, preferring instead to stare out the side window at the surrounding landscape. Xavier and Selena had fallen asleep in the rear seat within minutes of getting into the Yukon SUV.
Kenyon had tuned the vehicle’s radio to a station that featured blues music as sad as it was haunting. Music her mother said was played in juke joints throughout the South—music law-abiding and churchgoing folks would never listen to.
A slight smile softened her mouth when a husky-throated woman, accompanied by a harmonica and guitar, sang about loving her no-account, cheating lover. And no matter how many women he’d fooled with, she loved him because he was the only man who made her feel like a real live woman, according to the lyrics.
“She’s a fool,” Mia mumbled between clenched teeth.
“Is she a fool for loving her man, or a fool for putting up with his cheating?”
She turned and stared at Kenyon. He’d removed his hat and she was able to see all of his face. Dark, short-cropped hair hugged his well-shaped head like a cap. It was the first thing he’d said in more than forty minutes, and she chided herself for voicing her thoughts aloud.
“Both. There’s no reason why a woman should have to put up with a cheating man.”
“Why do you think they do?”
The seconds ticked before she said, “Low self-esteem. I believe women who put up with cheating men love the men more than they love themselves, and for me that’s a no-no.”
Kenyon drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, keeping rhythm with the music flowing through the sound system. That single statement told him all he wanted or needed to know about Mia. If or when it came to a relationship, she would be unforgiving.
“You like blues?” Kenyon had asked yet another question, deftly changing the topic.
“Some.”
“Which do you prefer?”
Her eyebrows lifted. “I thought they were all the same.”
Kenyon took his eyes off the narrow unlit road for a second, his gaze caressing Mia’s face as she stared directly at him. “There’s Delta blues, Chicago and Detroit blues.”
“I like B. B. King.”
“Good Mississippi bluesman.”
“What about Eric Clapton?”
Kenyon smiled, and attractive lines fanned out around his luminous eyes. “Another fine bluesman, albeit from across the pond.”
Mia noticed the harsh edge in Kenyon’s voice was missing. Could it be he wasn’t that resentful of her moving into his town? “Should I assume you are the law in Jones burg?”
The vocalist had stopped, and there was only the sound of harmonica playing, the haunting beats keeping tempo with the sound of tires slapping the roadway. She thought he hadn’t heard her, so Mia shifted again to stare out the side window. It was beginning to snow. Tiny flakes fluttered from a sky too dark to see, landing on the asphalt roadway. Naked tree branches along the highway broke up the occasional flecks of light that shone through the windows of those who were still in the partying mood or had left the lights on for latecomers.
They crossed the state line from Kentucky into West Virginia, and if it hadn’t been for the highway marker Mia would not have been able to discern one state from the other. She was in mining country, where the hills rose and fell, and where great mounds of earth were stripped for their rich mineral deposits.
“Yes, I am the sheriff of Jonesburg.”
It had been a full two minutes since Mia had asked the question—so long that she thought Kenyon hadn’t heard it or he had decided not to answer.
She turned to look at him again. He and Selena were cousins, but the only physical resemblance they shared was in their coloring, and she wondered if perhaps they were related by marriage. “How long have you been in office?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“If I’m going to live in Jonesburg, then I believe I should know something about the people who live there.” She’d turned the tables, repeating what he’d said to her.
Kenyon decelerated as he maneuvered around a sharp curve in the road. The snow was coming down harder. “How long do you plan to live in Jonesburg? Two months?”
“Try two years,” she countered. “I have another two years before I complete my residency.”
“What happens after you complete your residency?”
“You’re asking a lot of questions, Sheriff Chandler. If you suspect I have some ulterior motive, then I suggest you have me investigated. That shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll even help you out. My name is Mia Isabel Eaton. I was born in Dallas, Texas, on June—”
“There’s no need for you to be facetious, Mia,” Kenyon interrupted.
“I’m not being facetious, Kenyon. My living in Jonesburg serves two purposes—completing my residency and helping a semiretired doctor who can no longer make house calls.”
A muscle twitched in Kenyon’s jaw. The image of the woman he’d observed at Selena’s wedding reception was imprinted in his mind like a permanent tattoo. Her hair had been brushed off her face and knotted loosely on the nape of her neck with jeweled hairpins that matched the large diamond studs in her earlobes. She’d worn a one-shouldered dress in a shade that was the exact color of the pumpkins in the centerpieces on each table. She had on snakeskin stilettos in various colors of yellow, red, orange and brown, which added at least four inches to her statuesque figure. She even towered over some of the men in attendance.
A woman’s height was never an issue with Kenyon. At fourteen he was just shy of the six-foot mark, and by the time he’d turned eighteen he stood six-four and his body had filled out where his ribs were no longer visible. By the time he received his official discharge from the Air Force he’d tipped the scales at 220 pounds.
He would’ve asked Mia to dance but didn’t, even after Selena had offered to introduce him to her. The woman with the beautiful face and perfect body, wearing priceless jewelry and haute couture, was a snob, and she hadn’t bothered to hide her disdain for his folk. And for as long as he’d stared at her—not once had she smiled or approached anyone other than her relatives. It had appeared as if the talk about the joining of two families didn’t apply to her.
Now, four weeks later, she had returned to Mingo County, this time to live. Kenyon wanted to warn Mia that her haughty manner would not endear her to the people who didn’t cotton to folks who put on airs.
Mia was right—he had asked a lot of questions, but it been years since someone had come to Jonesburg to live. Most times it was people moving out because they’d either tired of living in a small town where everyone knew everyone and their business, or they were offered better employment opportunities elsewhere. For those living in towns like Jonesburg, generations became miners because their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers were coal miners.
He’d decided not to ask any more questions and instead watched her closely. Six months. That was how much time he’d give Mia before she packed up and returned to the pampered life she’d left behind.
The drive to Matewan took Kenyon twice as long as it would have if it hadn’t been snowing. He’d had to slow down because the snow was falling at a rate of two inches an hour, but it was also wet and heavy. The sound of branches breaking under the weight of the frozen precipitation resounded like gunfire in the stillness of the night. Heavyweight snow also meant loss of power when electrical wires snapped, plunging homes and businesses into darkness until utility crews could get to the region to repair them.
Downshifting, he turned off the county road and onto a local one leading to the house where his grandmother lived with his aunt and uncle. His mother had tried to get her mother to come and live with her, but Lily Yates refused to move out of the converted garage Kenyon and his uncle had renovated into a one-bedroom apartment after her husband passed away.
He maneuvered into the carport next to a late-model sport utility vehicle with Texas plates. The silver Volvo hadn’t been there when he’d left for the airport. Apparently Mia had arranged for her vehicle to be delivered to coincide with her arrival. Kenyon had to admire her for planning ahead. What he still found disturbing was that he hadn’t been informed that Dr. Lyman would have a partner.
He turned off the radio and the engine. “Don’t move. I’ll help you down.” Mia had unsnapped her seat belt.
Mia waited for Kenyon to get out, come around and open her door. He extended his arms and she slid off the seat, her arms going around his neck as he held her aloft for several seconds before her boots sank into a mound of drifting snow.
She smiled. “Thank you.”
A beat passed as he stared at her mouth. Even her smile was sensual. “You’re welcome. Go inside the house where it’s warm.”
Mia hesitated. “Aren’t you going to unlock the door?”
“It’s probably unlocked.” Kenyon motioned with his head. “Go! Now, before you catch a chill.”
Rolling her eyes and carefully putting one foot in front of the other to keep from falling, she walked tentatively up the four steps leading to the porch. She’d left the Lone Star State for the City of Brotherly Love, and then went onto the Mountain State, where the temperatures ranged from the low sixties to below freezing. But Mia was totally unprepared for the snow and biting wind that seemed to search through layers of clothing, chilling her to the bone.
The large farmhouse had a wraparound porch; electric candles lit the many windows, and a large, live pine wreath festooned with tiny glazed ceramic apples, acorns and holly berries was attached to the front door. Mia turned the knob and the door opened. She couldn’t believe people actually went to bed without locking their doors at night. She’d grown up where not only were doors locked at all times, but the house and property was wired and monitored by cameras and a 24/7 security company. She knew it would take her a while to adjust to living and working in a small town.
Stepping onto a thick coir mat, Mia stomped the snow off the soles of her boots before she leaned over to unlace them. She left the Doc Martens on a rag rug lined with boots and shoes. Two dimly lit hurricane lamps on either end of a long wooden table revealed a highly polished walnut floor. Her gaze shifted to the smoldering stone fireplace facing her, and the sweet smell of burning kindling mingled with a scent she recognized as pine. She walked into the living room, smiling. A live pine tree decorated in tiny white lights was positioned near the arched entryway to the dining room. The miniature lights were the same as those that had decorated the barn where Xavier and Selena held their wedding reception. However, these blinked off and on like twinkling stars.
Selena, who’d also removed her shoes, joined her in the living room. “If you follow me I’ll show you where you’ll sleep. I’m giving you my old room, because it’s on the top floor and soundproof. That way you can sleep as late as you want and not hear whatever ruckus is going on down here.”
Mia followed Selena as she mounted the staircase, which had a massive mahogany banister and carved newel posts. She couldn’t wait until daylight to see the magnificent beauty of the wood in the farmhouse. Their sock-covered feet were silent as they climbed the staircase from the first to the third floor. Standing on the landing, she saw there were three doors.
Selena opened one door, reached in and flicked on a switch, and the room where she’d spent her childhood was flooded with soft light from a ceiling fan. She stood to one side as Mia walked in, her eyes taking in everything in what had at one time been her sanctuary.
“Awesome, isn’t it?”
Mia nodded numbly. A four-poster bed, draped in a gossamer fabric, was positioned in an alcove facing another recessed area with a massive armoire fashioned out of the same dark mahogany wood. A window seat running the width of the room could easily accommodate six people. The grate in a stone fireplace, similar to the one in the living room, held a supply of firewood. A large bronze bucket was filled with wood and kindling. Someone hadn’t bothered to close the screen.
“It’s incredible,” she said, when she found her voice. “Who designed this room?”
“My grandfather. He built this house and most of the furniture in it. If he hadn’t been a carpenter or furniture maker he would have become a coal miner. Speaking of furniture, there’s a TV and a collection of DVDs in the armoire.”
“Do you have relatives who are or were miners?” Mia asked.
Selena nodded. “There are several generations of miners on my grandmother’s side of the family. Grandma Lily lost two brothers and an uncle in an explosion, and she vowed that none of her children would ever work in a mine. She did everything, taking in wash, making and selling quilts and even babysitting to put away enough money to send my father and aunt to college. Dad majored in criminal justice and he’s now sheriff of Matewan, and Kenyon’s mother is an expert when it comes to textile designs. Aunt Sylvia’s weaving and quilts are exhibited in the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, and she has donated a collection of quilts to the Textile Heritage Museum in Burlington, North Carolina. Thankfully, my paternal grandfather was the last one to work as a coal miner.”
Mia smiled. One of her questions had been answered. Selena’s father and Kenyon’s mother were siblings. There were a few more questions Mia wanted to ask, but she decided it would be impolite to pry. She didn’t know what it was about Kenyon that elicited more than a passing interest. Although he hadn’t worn a ring, she didn’t know if he was married, single or committed to someone. And, if he was committed then the woman could count herself lucky to have snared such a gorgeous male specimen.
The object of her musings chose that moment to walk into the bedroom carrying her luggage. He’d removed his jacket, and the long-sleeved waffle-weave shirt couldn’t conceal the power in his upper body. Her eyes went to the silver buckle on his belt, but she wasn’t close enough to read the inscription on the ornate piece.
“Thank you for bringing up my bags.”
Kenyon nodded, and then set the tote and Pullman on the floor next to the door. “If you’ve made plans to go to Jonesburg tomorrow, then scrap them.”
A slight frown appeared between Mia’s eyes. “Why?”
“I just got an email that because of blizzard conditions the governor has declared a snow emergency for Mingo, McDowell and Wyoming counties. Only emergency vehicles carrying essential personnel will be permitted on the roads.”
Mia folded her arms under her breasts. “Can’t I ride along with you? Dr. Lyman is expecting me Monday.”
“No, you can’t ride along with me, because I’m staying here until the road is clear.”
“But…but aren’t you the sheriff?”
